F.B.I. Chief Gives Account at Odds With Gonzales's  —  The director of the F.B.I. offered testimony Thursday that sharply conflicted with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's sworn statements about a 2004 confrontation in which top Justice Department officials threatened to resign over a secret intelligence operation.

Strike Two  —  For Barack Obama, it was strike two.  And this one was a right-down-the-middle question from a YouTuber in Monday night's South Carolina debate: "Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else …

AP: New Details on Tillman's Death  —  SAN FRANCISCO -  —  Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime …

But Don't Ask Him on YouTube...  Four days after the Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C,. more than 400 questions directed to the GOP presidential field have been uploaded on YouTube — targeted at Republicans scheduled to get their turn at videopopulism on Sept. 17.

Army Private Discloses He Is New Republic's Baghdad Diarist  —  The New Republic's anonymous "Baghdad Diarist" identified himself yesterday as Scott Thomas Beauchamp, an Army private in Iraq, and disputed as "maddening" accusations that he had invented his accounts of cruelty by American soldiers.

U.S. drops Baghdad electricity reports  —  The daily length of time that residents have power has dropped.  The figure is considered a key indicator of quality of life.  —  WASHINGTON — washington — As the Bush administration struggles to convince lawmakers that its Iraq war strategy is working …

Violence won't work: how author of 'jihadists' bible' stirred up a storm  —  Revisionist message from prison cell shakes al-Qaida colleagues  —  Ian Black Cairo  —  The assassination of the Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in 1981 by Islamic militants, a key moment in the development of jihadist groups.

Saudis' Role in Iraq Frustrates U.S. Officials  —  During a high-level meeting in Riyadh in January, Saudi officials confronted a top American envoy with documents that seemed to suggest that Iraq's prime minister could not be trusted.  —  One purported to be an early alert from the prime minister …

Private Peter Pan  —  The other day I posted about a pseudonymously written story published in the New Republic by a soldier in the field describing some rather despicable behavior by himself and some of his buddies.  It seemed to me that it was plausible, although of course, I have no way of really knowing.

Judge Blocks City's Ordinances Against Illegal Immigration  —  A federal judge issued a permanent injunction yesterday against restrictive anti-illegal-immigration ordinances in Hazleton, Pa., a city described by its mayor as "the toughest place on illegal immigrants in America."

Felony charges filed against 7 in state's biggest case of voter-registration fraud  —  King and Pierce County prosecutors filed felony charges today against seven people who allegedly committed the biggest voter-registration fraud in state history.  —  The defendants, who were paid employees …

Junk social science index  —  No one ever accused Congress of being overly meticulous about the scientific evidence it takes in.  But the 110th Congress has been on a binge diet of junk social science.  It's no wonder it's been looking sick lately.  —  Or should we say "sicko?"